Arousing transplant

• Where is Nigeria in a world where tech development is advancing daily?

In a world of increasingly mind-blowing scientific feats, news of a successful penile transplant with a positive “long-term result” is arousing in more ways than one. Certainly, it is a thought-provoking development as well as an eye-opener. Described as “the world’s first successful male organ transplant” and “a groundbreaking scientific achievement”, the nine-hour operation to give an unnamed 21-year-old man another phallus after the original one was amputated following a disastrous circumcision was reportedly performed at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Surgeons from the hospital and Stellenbosch University carried out the procedure using a penis donated by “a deceased organ donor.”

Understandably, it all sounds hard to believe, and the apparent incredibility can be grasped from the excited reaction of one of the surgeons that made it happen. Prof. Frank Graewe was quoted as saying: “It’s a massive breakthrough. We’ve proved that it can be done – we can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had. It was a privilege to be part of this first successful penis transplant in the world.”

Interestingly, the measure of the success was captured by Graewe who said of the man with the new penis: “He gets good quality erections, ejaculates and has frequent sex with his partner.” The man deserves congratulations. It is noteworthy that the transplant was done in December last year, and has only just been publicised. A number of remarkable observations reinforce the magnitude of the miraculous scientific accomplishment, and it must be said that the seemingly paradoxical description emphatically projects the out-of-this-world reality. In the first place, the man at the centre of the story reportedly “lost all but a 1cm stump of his penis” three years ago. Furthermore, nine other men are expected to receive penile transplants based on the groundbreaking success. In addition, it is worth noting that Prof. Andre van der Merwe who led the operation is said to have experimented on cadavers for years in order to determine how nerves, blood vessels and other elements could be connected to achieve full penile functionality.

It is a testimony not only to the possibilities of science but also the ingenuity of scientists that the delicate procedure has now been perfected. This is against the background that 10 years ago a man in China reportedly received a transplant only for him to ask surgeons to remove the donated penis two weeks after the operation. It is relevant to link the breakthrough to the South African context in which no fewer than 250 men are estimated to suffer penis loss every year on account of a manhood initiation ceremony conducted by the Xhosa tribe. The cutting of the penis foreskin by a traditional expert, which is considered the ultimate test of the rite of passage, often results in complications that may cause penile damage, or even death. It is no surprise that the cultural practice continues to attract criticism and condemnation.

However, beyond the evident environmental inspiration for the penile transplant procedure, it is important to highlight the scientific infrastructure and insight that enabled the exploit. In this connection, there are obviously useful lessons for Nigeria, particularly considering its poor focus on scientific development and its under-developed scientific community. It is pertinent to observe that, according to a 2013 list, recent stunning scientific developments include man-made organs, bionic humans, remote control brains, war robots, human head transplant and genetically modified babies.

Where is Nigeria in this picture? Without doubt, the 21st century imagination and vision require a passionate promotion of science and technology, without which the country is unlikely to make much progress despite its oil-rich status.